Celebrity (Video Game) Death Match…

I'm guessing many of you noticed Kyle Hilliard's news post
from earlier today (and if you haven't, you should) providing a tidy list of
confirmed video games for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. With 32 multiplatform
titles, 25 exclusives for the PS4 and 17 exclusives for the Xbox One, we're all
in for quite a treat regardless of which system you decide to get. If you're
planning on getting both, good luck trying to decide which game to play at any
given time.

I've already gone on record saying I'm planning on getting
the Xbox One, and if all goes well, I'll be getting it the day it releases. If that's
at midnight, super. If it's standing in line for 4 or 6 hours before the store
opens, well I'll do that too. Major console releases are often defining moments
in the video game industry and I want to remember where I was and what I was
doing. Anyway, as I digested all the wonderful games on Kyle's list and started
updating my own "games to track" list, I couldn't help but notice the
similarities between a few of the titles I'm most interested in. And the longer
I considered this the more my thoughts sort of morphed into a battle, much like
the old claymation Celebrity Death Match videos airing on MTV. The series
featured some notable lineups including Jim Carrey vs. Mariah Carey and Oprah
vs. Jerry Springer, just to name a few.

So what I've decided to do (without all the humor, gore and
dismemberment...unfortunately) is pair up similarly themed games I'm excited for
and pick a winner. In reality, I may (eventually) buy both games (or neither) but
these are the death match battles I'm currently considering.

Need for Speed:
Rivals versus Forza Motorsport 5

Thoughts: Hmm,
two racing games...both full of beautiful fast cars. On one hand, I have played
nearly every Need For Speed that has ever been released since the first one came
out in the mid-1990s. I can still remember the first time I drove one of my
favorite fast cars, the Dodge Viper. Because of that, NFS starts with a few car
length head start. But wow does Forza look amazing. If you didn't know (I didn't)
- Forza means force and strength in Italian.

Results: In a
photo finish almost too close to call, Forza gets the checker flag this round.

Project Spark versus Minecraft:
Xbox One Edition

Thoughts: The
games are somewhat similar in nature and revolve around building custom worlds.
Minecraft has a huge following of which I am a part of. I've contributed who
knows how many hours to the billion that have been devoted to playing the game.
I've blogged about it and called it a game changer - one of those games that
comes along every once in a while and kind of revolutionizes gaming as we know
it. But Project Spark appears to be the byproduct of Minecraft and is simply stunning.
It won't appeal to all gamers, but neither does Minecraft. If it can achieve
everything it is advertising, I'm very excited for it. The deciding factor
might be the simplicity associated with game play in Minecraft. Don't get me
wrong, Minecraft is a complex game in terms of mechanics, but the controls and
play are simple. Project Spark seems easy enough, but we won't know until it's
here.

Results: I love
Minecraft as much as anybody. I've spent the time and have suffered heavy
losses from the creeper like many of you have, but the trailer simply advertises
a bigger world and more players...and to be honest, Minecraft was already fairly
big (especially if you play it on the PC)...at this point I'm looking for more
features and Project Spark seems to be offering that. It's a unanimous
decision, Project Spark wins.

The Division versus Watch
Dogs

Thoughts: Watch
Dogs certainly sounds interesting and relies on the very relevant topic of
information warfare. It incorporates stealth and gadgets into the game play,
which sounds sort of like a Tom Clancy novel. Speaking of Tom Clancy, the
Division is actually short for Tom Clancy's The Division. Like Watch Dogs, it's
also based on real world (or at least believable) events. Neither game has
released a whole lot of information, but from what I've seen I'm intrigued by
both.

Results: You had
me at Tom Clancy. I'm huge Clancy fan and have been following all of the Tom
Clancy games since the Red Storm Entertainment days. As cool as Watch Dogs
sounds (and I hope it is), this was an unfair fight from the start. If Tom
Clancy is in the title, whether the game succeeds or fails, chances are it will
be my pick.

Ooh...the matches are
getting a little tougher to pick.

Battlefield 4 versus Call
of Duty: Ghosts

Thoughts: This is
one of those fights where you like both sides and feel like whoever wins then
you win. I like both series and will undoubtedly get both games. I am a huge
fan of military shooters and even though both of these stray from the level of
realism I prefer, I still enjoy them immensely. Don't blink or you might miss
the knockout punch either could throw. I'm excited by the prospects of what
Ghosts has to offer (and because it reminds me of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon -
see previous comment) but having seen the Commander mode return in Battlefield 4,
one of my favorite features in BF2, if this were really a boxing match I fear
it would end in a draw.

Results: Split
decision with Battlefield 4 getting the nod. I like Commander Mode that much I
guess.

Destiny versus Titanfall

Thoughts: Since I
am interested in both of these games and what they are claiming I have sort of
minimized how much exposure I'll allow myself to view. I don't want to pollute
my "initial reaction" when I finally sit down to play them. It's my
understanding Destiny is a huge open world game, sort of an MMOFPS...and
Titanfall is somewhat similar, but has big mechs engaging in brutal combat.
They're both being developed by reputable names in the industry with proven
track records. Hmmm....

Results: Destiny
sounds amazing; Titanfall sounds amazing. I think this is one of those fights
where I don't pick a winner, until after a winner is announced, and then I claim
that was my pick all along. I like them both and want both to win.

Star Wars:
Battlefront versus Halo

Thoughts: My
favorite video game of all time against a video game related to my favorite
movie of all time? This is torture; it's like asking a parent which child is
their favorite. Halo is an iconic series, one of Microsoft's crown jewels...and
343 Industries did such a phenomenal job with the last one...but we've been
waiting for a new (and hopefully decent) Star Wars game for so long.

Results: I've
always said I'll always own the console that lets me play Halo, so as much as
it pains me to not pick Star Wars for anything, Halo. Wins. Every time.

I know, I know...a bunch of you think I'm crazy. But hey, these
are my picks. I don't expect everyone to agree with them (I know not everybody
loves the Xbox or Halo as much as I do), but I'd love to hear what others are
excited about. And if you're so inclined, feel free to tell me your celebrity
video game death match lineups and who would win.